Innovating the Playbook

Letter from the Editor

I’m excited to bring you the June 2026 edition of the IABC/Toronto Communicator. This issue is filled with helpful information, industry trends and personal reflections on how our contributors – and the communications industry – are starting to do things differently in their work.

In “Beyond the Text: Risk, Culture and Emoji Intelligence,” Caterina Valentino explores how we can make our digital emoji usage more inclusive in an environment that includes different generations, accessibility considerations and platforms. Caterina has created a handy Digital Culture Playbook, which includes an emoji audit, team emoji style guide and digital accessibility commitments.

Mohammad Akkawi, in “Hosting the World: How Canada is Communicating Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026,” recaps IABC/Toronto’s recent panel discussion, “Communication on the World Stage: Positioning Canada as a Global Tourism Destination ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026.” At the event, industry experts from communications, tourism and brand strategy came together to discuss the huge undertaking of “innovating the playbook” to prepare to host the FIFA World Cup.

AI also plays a big role, of course, in innovating the playbook.

Karen Traboulay, in “The Human Write: Protecting Craft in the Age of AI,” reflects on how communicators can maintain excellence, authenticity and craftsmanship in a world where seasoned professionals can be confused with AI for simply using em dashes.

In the article “Collaborating with Machines – How I Started Using AI to Write Blogs,” author Eric Emin Wood takes us through his journey as a late adopter of AI to now leveraging it strategically to write blogs. He also shares helpful prompts.

Innovating the playbook can sometimes mean a more subtle shift, as Sachi Hegde writes about in “The Quiet Rewrite: How AI Actually Changed My Working Week, 18 Months In.”

Finally, in “AI at Work: You’re using AI. But Are You Using It Right?” Alice Namu provides a playbook for how professional communicators can use AI strategically, including common missteps and which tools are worthwhile.

Thank you to all of our writers for this issue. Your valuable insights and reflections are greatly appreciated. Thank you also to Haya Yusuf, for her ongoing help with images and story captions. And a special thank you to Prachi Shailendra, VP, Communications, Marketing & Digital Media, for her assistance with this issue, and her leadership and support. I hope you enjoy this edition, and wish you all a great summer.

Regards,

Tina Dealwis
Editor-in-Chief, IABC/Toronto Communicator